The comedian decided to step down as host of the 2019 Oscars, a position he was named to just days earlier, after homophobic tweets from eight years ago re-emerged on Thursday. He said earlier in the day on Thursday that he had “evolved” in his views.

In a post on Instagram at about 11 p.m. Eastern time, Hart said he got a call from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was asked to apologize for his prior tweets, or step down as host. He would officially confirm is exit on Twitter an hour later.

“Kevin Hart, apologize for your tweets of old, or we’re going to have to move on,” Hart relayed about the call in the Instagram post.

He refused to apologize and decided to step down as host, he said in a post at midnight Eastern time on Twitter.

“I’ve moved on,” he said. “I’m in a completely different place in my life.

“The reason why I’ve passed is that I’ve addressed it several times,” he said on Instagram. “This is not the first time this has come up. I’ve addressed it. I’ve spoken on it. I’ve said where the rights and wrongs were. I’ve said who I am now versus who I was then.”

Hart wrote on Twitter, “I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscars … this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists.” He also apologized for “hurting people.”